Scene from Mean Girls 2024 Photo Credit I Paramount
Fetch in every way that counts!
When the original Mean Girls movie came out in 2004, it became a cultural phenomenon that has been rewatched, quoted, and referenced to the point that if you didn’t know what Mean Girls was, people would say you were missing out big time.
What started as a movie adapted from a book that was made to help parents deal with the issue of cliques in high school, which later became a Broadway hit musical, is now following in trend with many others before it: becoming a musical film.
The original musical came out on Broadway in 2018, written by the same woman who wrote the script for the original movie, Tina Fey (Tina also starred in the film as math teacher Ms. Norbury), and was a massive success. In 2020, it was revealed that the musical would be made into a film following the footsteps of many Broadway-turned-films before it: Hairspray, Chicago, Les Miserables, Little Shop of Horrors, West Side Story, etc. Initially, the movie was meant to be released on Paramount Plus, a streaming service. However, after a more than positive screen test, the powers that be decided a theatrical release was more appropriate. This movie, which brought Mean Girls Musical alumni Renee Rapp back to play the character of Queen Bee Regina George (a role made famous by Rachel McAdams in the original), follows the same story as the 2004 film in which homeschooled teenager Cady Heron (played by Marvel’s Spider-man actress Angourie Rice) is transferred to public school after spending most of her life in Africa with her mother. Here, she tries to fit in and survive the wild and nerve-racking environment that is high school with her new friends Janis ‘Imi’kie (played by Moana voice actress Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian Hubbard (played by Broadway actor Jaquel Spivey). Before Cady knows it, she is thrust into the school’s resident “It Girl” group, the Plastics.
The group consists of Gretchen Wieners, a Regina George worshiper who wants nothing more than to maintain status as Regina’s best friend (played by Love, Victor alumni Bebe Wood), Karen Shetty, a not-so-bright girl who spends most of the film being without a doubt an excellent comedic relief (played by Avantika), and Regina George, the Queen Bee of all Mean Girls. In doing so, Cady is tasked with bringing Regina George down but also trying not to lose herself to the call of mean girl-ness.
This film was a roller coaster of different things that came together to make something that may not be a cultural watch requirement as the original film was, but it’s still enough to make you come back and visit it repeatedly. So many things helped and hurt the film in various ways, making it call back to the original, praise the Broadway musical, and stand on its own two feet.
Some of the bad things included the wardrobe. The costumes were very divided in this film. They all seemed to fall under the “Hit or Miss” ranking, with many being misses. One of the things that made the 2004 film iconic and memorable was the outfits the characters wore, particularly the Plastics. These girls are supposed to stand out amongst everyone else as the pinnacle of fashion, but their costumes were less giving “I’m rich, I’m hot, be jealous of me,” and were more giving, “I bought this from a second rate fast fashion site, and the only thing redeeming me right now is my gorgeous face.” I can count on one hand how many outfits Regina wore that looked good. The same goes for the other characters. My head started to hurt from the amount of times I rolled my eyes at their “outfit” choices. It got to the point that I felt like I was being accosted every other scene.
I get that this movie is set in 2023-2024, and fashion has changed a lot since 2004 for teens, but Y2K has made a remarkable, and quite frankly, prominent comeback over the last few years. Yes, the trends are different, with Gen-Z copping most of their wardrobes from places like SHEIN, H&M, Forever21, Zara, Lululemon, Thrift stores, etc., but these characters are supposed to be dumb-rich. They would not be associated with any of those things. The costume designer for the film, Tom Broecker, stated that he didn’t want the outfits to over-sexualize the girls as they did in the original, that he based them on what he had seen teens wearing out and about, and that he also taken influence from social medias such as Tiktok and Instagram, as well as celebrities such as Billie Eilish, Sydney Sweeney, Jenna Ortega, etc. Props to him for trying because this was an enormous task to take on, and again, there were some good takeaways, but three things; these outfits were way more sexualized than the ones from the original; AGAIN, these girls are not regular teens but popular rich girls; if he wanted fashion influence from celebrities, he should have gone for those who are socialites/fashion icons by today’s standards. I’m not asking for attire from shows like Euphoria, but come on. Those neon green parachute pants that Regina wore in one scene will haunt dreams until the end of time.
The songs were excellent, considering the changes made from the original Broadway production. A friend pointed out something that had me looking at them in a new light: the people in the movie aren’t Broadway singers, which adds up. The only ones with any Broadway background are Spivey and Rapp. So it does offer up why some, if not most, of the songs were toned down more and lacked multiple high notes. I will say that the fact they cut a chunk of the songs from the original musical was an intelligent and wild decision. It shaves off extra time that wouldn’t be needed and helps set the movie as realistic while keeping the original musical’s campy vibes. I will say I was disappointed by the butchering of the finale song, “I See Stars,” as well as the shortening of the Plastics introductory number, “Meet the Plastics.” The saving grace on the last one is that Renee Rapp managed to send chills through me with just her part alone. The songs that I would consider the best out of the short bunch would have to be, in order: “World Burn”, “Someone Gets Hurt”, “Meet the Plastics”, and “Sexy”. I’m not saying the rest were terrible; they just come in second to these right here.
The actors’ voice talent was impeccable, though Rice’s (Angourie) vocals sounded almost auto-tuned, which kept throwing me off during the watch. The changes to the tempo, the pacing, and even the keys of the songs may have been a big gamble that the creative team took, but it was a gamble that wasn’t entirely bad. My first listen to the new version of “Someone Gets Hurt” made me question why the change was made. Still, upon hearing it while watching it in the theaters, it left me completely mesmerized by it, along with the way the scene was set up both choreographically and visually. The change from a moody, slightly dramatic ballad in the musical to a slowed-down, borderline-RNB, slight-techno ballad in the film helped set the tone for the changes being made for the film.
The acting was top tier. Most everyone in this movie brought their A-game. There were barely moments where it felt like anyone was lagging or not giving it their all. Spivey’s Damian and Avantika’s Karen were two honorary mentions that got my attention. Whenever Damian was on screen, he came in with one-liners and jokes that never fell flat and always got a laugh out of me. Dare I say it? I prefer this Damian over the one from the original and even over the one from the musical. Karen was nothing but perfection. Giving flowers to the creative team for choosing a different route and not making the character blonde this go around to help escape the done-to-death dumb blonde trope. The character is still dumb, but now it won’t be done through a tired old joke. Her lines had me shaking my head and trying desperately to hold back laughter. She kind of scared me, though, with how her eyes always seemed to stay wide open as she looked at people, but it helped sell the “the malls open but ain’t nobody shopping.”
personality the character is supposed to have.
The one lousy performance that I was able to pick up on was that of the character Aaron Samuels actor Chris Briney. Now, I’m no stranger to this man. I saw his performance in the Summer I Turned Pretty series. Is he a good actor? Yes. But in this film? Not really. Every time he was on screen, he just felt so stiff in his performance. I had a hard time believing that this was the guy that Regina and Cady were passive-aggressively fighting over, or that he was the reason Cady was so determined to take Regina down. Watching it was so bad and slightly uncomfortable that it was practically comical. Again, Briney is an excellent actor, and from what I’ve seen from interviews and social media, he’s a pretty stand-up guy, but this was just not his movie. He was very vanilla compared to everyone else. Side note: What were those outfits that they had his character in? Those didn’t help his case. We’re supposed to believe he is this desirable, lovable boy next door when every one of his outfits screams basic? I mean, long white socks with slides? The plaid button shirts thrown over a random shirt? I was very disappointed.
The standout in this film would have to be Ms. Renee Rapp herself for her performance as Regina George. Taking on a role like this is a challenging feat. But it’s not the first time she has done it. Coming off her time performing the character on Broadway from 2019-2020, Rapp brought this character to life again, not through stage, but through film. No one could outdo Rachel McAdams’s performance in the 2004 film, but Rapp is giving her a run for her money. Her Regina George seems more sinister, manipulative, and two-faced than McAdams’s Regina. Where McAdams’s Regina was a mean girl you would probably hate and be slightly afraid of, Rapp’s Regina is a mean girl you just can’t help but be obsessed with and more terrified of. This is very evident during the performances of “Someone Gets Hurt” and “World Burn” as she displays just what the character is capable of, whether it’s manipulating an ex-boyfriend into getting back together with her in order to crush the spirit/heart of someone she referred to as a friend or causing massive chaos in the school hallway as a way to enact revenge against those who she sees have wronged her. Rapp’s performance is something to applaud, praise, and forever be amazed by.
One key and crucial detail that helps separate this film from the original is the period it is in. With this film being set during the era of modern-day technology and social media, it helps make it more aggressive and realistic regarding how teens act, think, and bully each other. Gone are the days of shoving someone into a locker, writing hateful notes on the bathroom stalls, or even calling them rude nicknames, but instead there’s tearing them down with the whole world as their audience. The film’s use of social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram 100% helps reel that in. Especially during the iconic and infamous Burn Book reveal scene in which the school’s students discover all the mean and crazy things that have been written about them by an anonymous person (Regina and her fellow Plastics).
Overall, the film has done an excellent job in helping bring the musical adaptation to the big screen and help reintroduce the infamous Mean Girls to a new generation. Will some people probably be dissatisfied that it’s a musical, seeing as most of the marketing has not displayed that? Most likely, yes. If you don’t do research before going into this film, you will most likely find yourself surprised when the characters start singing and dancing randomly. But all in all, this film is for the theater kids who have been counting down the days, saying desperate prayers at night, and making multiple fountains wishes for a film adaptation of the Broadway musical. This is the result, the answer, the gift, and the love letter to them all.
My score for the movie is a solid 3.5/5, with an average grade of B.
Mean Girls is currently playing in local theaters.
